The Cycle of the Four Seasons
by Celestial Calamity
Summary: From the beginning of Ursa and Ozai's courtship to their eventual separation.
1. Spring

**Title**: The Cycle of the Seasons

**Summary**: From the beginning of Ursa and Ozai's courtship to their separation.

**A/N**: I think the Search was a major disappointment, especially how terribly they depicted Ursa and Ozai's relationship. Personally, I wished I never read the comic altogether. I suppose I'm going to blame my curiosity for reading it. So, I'm going to be writing my own version of their relationship.

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_"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming."**  
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_—_**Paul Neruda_  
_**

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**T**he biggest turning point in Ursa's short life occurred when Fire Nation royalty set foot inside the town she once called home.

Ursa grew up listening to tales of Avatar Roku, her deceased grandfather and Fire Lord Sozin, the tyrant who ordered the eradication of the Air Nomads after he subsequently betrayed her grandfather. She hadn't anticipated an engagement to one of the Fire Nation's esteemed sons, Prince Ozai.

Much to her disappointment, Ursa and her family was staying at the guesthouse that belonged to her relatives a week before the engagement party. Aunt Ming was a prime example of the perfect hostess, which compensated for the fact that her twin daughters were infuriating little monsters. Hua Ling and Li Juan were five years younger than Ursa, but despite their angelic countenances, they were conniving little devils.

"I can't believe our little Ursa is getting married!" Li Juan shrieked with pride. "Never in a million years did I think you would get married before we did —"

"Much less to a gorgeous Fire Nation prince!" her twin sister, Hua Ling finished her sentence. It was a habit that Ursa greatly despised.

"You are so lucky," they squealed in unison.

"I don't even know him!" Ursa said defensively.

"Girls, stop harassing your cousin," Aunt Ming chastised her daughters.

This prompted the two girls to share conspiratorial grins.

Here we go, Ursa sighed as the two girls dragged her upstairs.

"So aren't you excited for the engagement party?" Li Juan asked, accompanied with inane giggling. "I mean, you _are_ marrying one of the most handsome —"

"Please. Stop. Talking."

Ursa whipped around to see Mei Fang, the older sibling of the twins. She was about the same age as Ursa.

"Mei Fang!" Ursa exclaimed, relieved to be free from the clutches of the terrible twosome. She rushed forward and embraced her favorite cousin, and demanded in a mock angry tone, "Why didn't you save me from the twins earlier?

"I was busy with archery practice," Mei Fang shrugged, unaware of the fact that she was on the receiving end of two very murderous looks.

She spent the rest of the week touring the Fire Nation Capitol with Mei Fang, who seemed to know every nook and cranny of the city. They dined at the most exclusive restaurants (with an even more exclusive clientele). It helped Mei Fang was a noblewoman, which gave her access to money Ursa didn't have.

Before she knew it, it was the day of the engagement party.

Ursa felt overwhelmed with nervousness. She briefly wondered if her future husband would be content with her being the daughter of a mere magistrate. Would he be able to overlook that fact that unlike him, she was bereft of a noble background?

Her mother presented her gown for the evening. It was a gorgeous, deep mahogany number that was trimmed in lavish gold. Ursa loved how it hung loosely off her frame, and it didn't block her blood circulation by being too tight. She also noticed how it seemed to accentuate her curves perfectly.

"Where did you get this dress, mother?" Ursa was shocked. Her family wasn't poor, but it wasn't as though they could afford extravagant pieces of clothing.

"Your grandmother heard of the engagement party but she couldn't come due to personal reasons," her mother explained. Ursa knew her grandmother had a bone to pick with the royal family, but the dress was absolutely magnificent. "She sent this dress through the mail to make it up for her absence."

Mei Fang chose a crimson gown that looked beautiful, despite its simplicity. It had a matching dress shawl and she threw on a pair of gold earrings.

"Well," Mei Fang said tiredly. "Let's get this over with."

The engagement party was going to be held at one of the many houses that belonged to the royal family. When they walked in, Ursa suddenly felt uncomfortable when every pair of eyes turned to her. The feeling of being watched was deeply unsettling, Ursa mused darkly.

She knew her parents were trailing behind her, and she was thankful her mother didn't see her panicked expression. She would never hear the end of it.

Mei Fang seemed to take it all in gracefully. She didn't seem the slightest bit apprehensive when everyone looked at their particular direction. Ursa felt envious at Mei Fang's sudden burst of confidence and took a deep breath.

"I haven't sprouted another head, have I?" Ursa whispered to Mei Fang.

Mei Fang smirked at her cousin's uneasiness. "Quite the contrary, actually. I think their minds are still processing how beautiful you look in that dress."

"Don't mock me, Mei Fang. I'm being serious," Ursa said thickly, clenching her teeth.

Before they reached ten paces, they were bombarded by guests. It took a considerable amount of time to shake them off.

"Hello," a girl with a fan smiled prettily at them. She had noteworthy features, with a flawless porcelain complexion. Ursa prided herself for being an observant person, and she noticed how the girl's smile did not reach her eyes. "So you must be Lady Ursa. My, nobody has told me how beautiful you were."

"So nice seeing you here . . . Natsumi," Mei Fang said with a forced smile.

Ursa could sense the obvious tension in the atmosphere. She would be an idiot not to. She believed the two harboured mutual resentment for each other.

"You two seemed to be getting along swimmingly," Ursa said with an impish grin. "Well, I'm heading off towards the refreshments."

She could feel Mei Fang glowering at her back.

The refreshments had plenty of drinks. There were many she was dying to try, but Ursa was wondering how many of them could be spiked with intoxicants.

Tired with her indecisiveness, she randomly picked a drink. She turned around abruptly, and nearly careened into someone that had a stocky build.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going . . ." She rambled, feeling apologetic at her clumsiness. It was at that moment Ursa noticed the three-pronged headpiece in his topknot. This was the prince she was supposed to marry? He looked considerably older than her.

Then, she remembered the Fire Lord had two children. It suddenly dawned to her that she nearly spilled her drink all over the Fire Lord's eldest son.

"Well, my father never told me how beautiful you were when he came to visit," the Crown Prince remarked. "My brother is truly a lucky man."

Ursa felt uncomfortable with the shower of compliments she was receiving that afternoon. But, she realised that the Crown Prince was merely being kind.

"I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Crown Prince Iroh."

"It is an honour to meet you Crown Prince Iroh," Ursa might have come from a small town, but she knew monarchs were usually addressed by their given honorifics. "I am Ursa of Shongshou."

"Seeing that we're going to be family soon, I don't think you should keep on calling me by my title. Simply Iroh will do," he said with an amicable grin.

Ursa felt relieved at least one member of the royal family seemed to enjoy conversing with her without shooting her disdainful looks at her lack of having a prestigious heritage. He appeared to be the lackadaisical type, with his easygoing demeanour and idyllic persona being the proof of that.

Suddenly, a woman and a small child appeared at his side. "Lady Ursa, I would like you to meet my wife, Crown Princess Hitachi, and my son, Lu Ten."

"It is an honour to meet you Crown Princess Hitachi," Ursa replied. Crown Princess Hitachi looked exquisite in her extravagant choice of apparel for the engagement party. She gave Ursa a radiating smile. "You too, Prince Lu Ten."

"Is it true you're going to be my new auntie?" he asked, sounding excited.

"Well, it appears it's going to be that way if I survive until the wedding day," Ursa joked.

Crown Prince Iroh was swept up in a conversation with a general that demanded his attention. The same happened to the Crown Princess, only the conversation had something to do with politics, dragging her son along with her. Feeling bored, she roamed the ballroom until she came across a balcony.

The atmosphere in the ballroom was stuffy and she needed to some fresh air that would be able to help her clear her muddled thoughts. The balcony was bigger than she orginally thought, and there were several unlit candles around her and instantly thought of an idea. Why not? Ursa thought optimistically.

It wasn't like she was going to get in trouble for firebending.

She loved how captivating the balcony became when she lit the candles.

"So you must be Ursa."

She suppressed a gasp, whipping around to find the source of the voice. Ursa knew the ballroom was packed with hundreds and hundreds of people and the odds of being alone in the balcony by herself were very slim. She sighed dejectedly when her poor attempt at stealing a few moments alone hadn't worked.

Ursa noticed the royal headpiece in his topknot and decided that this was Prince Ozai. His towering build made him look nothing like his older brother. The two brothers looked nothing like each other. Prince Ozai had thick black tresses that surpassed his shoulders and eyes of burnished gold.

"I imagine you would seek solace in the balcony seeing that you're not used to attending these kind of parties," he began.

Ursa narrowed her eyes. Was he mocking her because of her less than satisfactory status? Would he despise her for not having an impressive lineage? "You raise a fair point, Prince Ozai. However, none of these people are remotely interesting to talk to which is why I decided to come here."

The Crown Prince and his family were an exception, of course, but Prince Ozai didn't know she encountered her brother.

If this was how she was behaving in her own engagement party, how would be react during her wedding day? Ursa knew that with time, she would able to cope with being a Fire Nation princess.

Sensing her discomfort, he changed the topic of the conversation. "Did you firebend these candles?"

"Obviously they didn't light themselves."

He smiled, ignoring her offhanded remark. Ursa mentally berated herself for being rude to her future husband. "Well, my father certainly never told me of your firebending capabilities. It's been decades since a female member of the royal family has been given the gift of firebending, you know."

"Are you serious?" Ursa asked him with a note of incredulity in her voice. "Hm. I don't know why, but I've always thought the royal family would only marry firebenders — so they could heighten their chances of having a firebending offspring. Because of this, Crown Princess Hitachi pegged me as a firebender."

"Strangely enough, we haven't had a non-bending heir in my family for generations," Prince Ozai replied. "Even my own mother is a non-bender."

"Wow, you must really have potent firebending genes," Ursa told him.

He laughed. Ursa smirked, grateful that she was making some progress.

"Even that hag my stupid brother is with gave birth to a firebender. Have my met their son, Lu Ten?" he asked.

Ursa frowned at his behaviour. "Well, if anything, Crown Princess Hitachi is nothing short of exquisite. And yes, I have met Lu Ten. He's a very nice child."

"The hag is giving off the illusion that she's pretty from all the makeup she has caked on her face. Besides, I prefer girls who don't rely too much on makeup."

Ursa garnered all of her willpower to not blush at his comment, knowing full well that she usually applied minimal amount of makeup when it came to attending social gatherings. She would not give Prince Ozai the satisfaction that he managed to get to her with his flirtatious comments.

"Well, you're not looking too bad yourself, Prince Ozai."

Taken aback at her bold comment, he grinned. "I think we should be heading back. My father should be announcing our engagement any time soon."

When Prince Ozai offered her hand, she took it without hesitation.


	2. Summer

**Title**: The Cycle of the Seasons

**Summary**: From the beginning of Ursa and Ozai's courtship to their separation.

**A/N**: Here's the second chapter. Hope you enjoy it guys. :3

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**The · Cycle · of · the · Four · Seasons**

_Summertime is always the best of what might be._

**―Charles Bowden**

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**T**he wedding had gone off without a hitch. Fire Nation citizens would certainly be talking about it for a long time. It had been three months since the mysterious Lady Ursa — rumoured to have originated from a small town outside of the Fire Nation Capitol — had married Prince Ozai, the Fire Lord's youngest son.

She instantly formed a bond with her nephew, Prince Lu Ten. She loved him the moment she met him in her engagement party.

She could tell he inherited his charming qualities from his father.

"Sometimes I think you prefer spending your free time with Lu Ten rather than me," Ozai joked, strolling in the royal garden. Ursa told Lu Ten she needed to speak with Ozai alone. Reluctantly, he got up and left. Ozai could tell his nephew didn't appreciate the interruption.

"Maybe if you didn't spend all the time going off to stupid battles and attending boring war meetings, you wouldn't have to be so jealous," she shot back.

"You know I have to fulfill my responsibilities as a prince," Ozai said, sitting beside her. Ursa felt his arm coiling around her waist.

"Sounds to me like you're just making excuses."

He became silent. He didn't seem to hear what she said. She could tell there was something on his mind. He had been like that for the past several days now.

"Ursa?" he started. "Have you ever thought of having children?"

Before he could proceed, she could tell he was waiting for her reaction. For the past few months, Ursa had been taking the contraceptive tea to prevent any unplanned pregnancies. If she was going to have a baby, it would be on her terms. The thought had crossed her mind from time to time. She even heard stories of past Fire Lords having concubines when their lifelong partner couldn't procreate. She thought the idea was ludicrous.

"Of course it has. We're married aren't we?" Ursa replied and continued. "I know we're lacking in the baby department but that can always change, you know."

Ursa loved children. In the beginning, she was overwhelmed with so many princess duties that the thought of having children barely crossed her mind. Ever since Ursa was given the title princess, she would spend her most of her days with Crown Princess Hitachi — who gracefully took up the responsibility of grooming her into the perfect princess. She would educate her on history of the Fire Nation and even politics, which Ursa found oddly fascinating.

There were certain days when she didn't have any princess lessons, she would sneak off to the training arena often used by Ozai and Iroh. She promised her mother she would practise her firebending rigorously as soon as she became accustomed to palace life.

She ceased her training one day when she was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. Her breakfast felt like it was threatening to make a reappearance and it did. Concerned about her health, she consulted the Royal Physician immediately.

"I've been feeling out of it for the past few days. And I've been vomiting and felt dizzy for the past few days," Ursa confided the doctor.

He had been with the royal family for years, witnessing the birth of the two princes and watched them grow up into fine young men. When he was done questioning her, the Royal Physician smiled."You're not ill, Princess Ursa. These symptoms indicate that you might be pregnant."

She was pregnant? She remembered she hadn't taken her contraceptive tea for the past three weeks to see if she could get pregnant — she quickly learned whenever Ozai had an idea, he would latch onto it like a barnacle and never let go.

She went through the first and second trimester without any major complications. Sure, her stomach ballooned during the last few months of her pregnancy as though she swallowed a giant boulder overnight. She experienced the usual drowsiness, dizziness and vomiting that came with the pregnancy package. She hated how she looked. Ursa sometimes felt insecure about her appearance, an uncanny resemblance to an overgrown watermelon.

Overall, she thought she had a smooth pregnancy.

Those countless hours of labour were hell, though. Her screams were loud enough to be heard all throughout Capitol City. She felt as though someone had stretched her hipbones and repositioned them. She felt like someone dripped acid on her nerve endings which caused her endless amount of excoriating pain.

She swore she was going to behead Ozai for knocking her up and feed his carcass to the wild animals to feast on. .

"I'm going to name him after my father, Jinzuk," Ursa wrapped her arms around the squabbling infant and smiled up at her husband. "His name will be Zuko."

She refused the wet nurses to breastfeed her child. She told them she was perfectly capable of performing her motherly duties and she would personally torch the next person who offered their services to her again. They stopped coming shortly after that.

"Your methods are . . . unconventional, Princess Ursa," Fire Lord Azulon told her over a game of Pai Sho during one evening.

"With all due respect, sir, I was not raised as a royal."

Fire Lord Azulon cocked an eyebrow in amusement. He seemed to enjoy her antics. He thought her determination and loyalty were admirable qualities.

He was ancient, but that didn't make him senile. He was an experienced Pai Sho player, and he almost always beat her every time.

She knew Ozai thought he was severely lacking paternal instincts. It was common knowledge that the Fire Lord Azulon favoured his firstborn child, which caused his younger brother to nurse years of bitter rage towards his father and brother. He seemed to get along swimmingly with his mother, Fire Lady Ilah. Of course, it didn't help that she died in the middle of an assassination attempt that was meant for Ozai.

"My father hates me," Ozai deadpanned. He startled her when he barged into their bedchambers one morning when she was brushing her hair.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ozai. Of course he doesn't hate you," she tried to placate him but she swore she could see him glowering at her through her peripheral vision. "He's mourning for the loss of his wife, which is perfectly normal."

"He wished it was me that died and not her —"

She put the comb down. "He's lashing out on you because he's angry and on top of that his Fire Lord duties are weighing him down as well."

"That's a load of dragon dung and you know it, Ursa. My father is perfectly capable of executing his duties as the Fire Lord to his nation. He fucking despises me because his wife died for the sake of his least favourite child," Ozai launched into a tirade.

Ursa rubbed her throbbing temples. What would it take to shut this man up?

Slowly, a mischievous smile crept on her face. Ozai was busy rambling about Agni knows what, probably something related to his father — Ursa had tuned him out a long time ago because she know her attempts at calming him down were futile. She looped her arms around his neck and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

She smirked when he eagerly responded to her touch.

Several days later, Zuko began to walk and Ursa swelled with pride. She was disappointed when Ozai merely observed him with a disinterested look.

"Why are you so aloof?" she demanded hotly. "It was your idea to have a baby, and I gave you one! Now, you don't seem too fond of having one anymore. Why is so difficult to please you? You were never like this when we were first newlyweds."

"I'm not good with children. Besides, walking for the first time isn't that big of an achievement. Now, if he turns out to be a firebender, I'll be impressed."

"And if he is not?" Ursa challenged, rising to her feet. "I will love my son unconditionally, whether he turns out to be a firebender or not."

"Do you know what happened to the last prince who couldn't firebend?" Ozai said with an expression that quickly made her become fearful. "He was banished, along with his mother, who also couldn't firebend. The Fire Lord during that time — Fire Lord Zhen, I think was his name — remarried five times because his wives couldn't produce a firebender. The sixth time he finally had a firebending offspring, but this time it turned out to be a girl."

She wanted to scream there was nothing wrong with having a daughter, that she would have loved to have one herself. Instead, she didn't.

"That Fire Lord must have been an unbearable jerk," she scoffed disdainfully. "I hope he died young."

He grabbed her wrists. His sudden movement startled her. "You d not speak of ill of the royal family without facing devastating consequences, Ursa. Even if Fire Lord Zhen was an 'unbearable prick', as you eloquently put it, there are always people watching. The palace walls have ears, you know."

She shrugged off the warning. It wasn't like she didn't know people were watching her every move. She was a princess, she suspected people would look up to her to some extent, even if she wasn't as important as the crown princess. She meant every word of what she said. She didn't care if people heard her.

Their fears were not confirmed when Zuko his father's robes on fire. Ursa laughed at the surprised expression Ozai was donning.

"He set my robes on fire!" Ozai complained, trying to stomp out the flames.

"You're going to become a strong firebender, Zuko," Ursa cooed softly.

"Again!" Zuko clapped his hands. It was his new favourite word. "Again!"

"Well, you don't have to worry about your son not being a firebender," Ursa said, almost squealing with excitement at her son's accomplishment. Ozai smiled, his expression nothing short of delightful. Her family was safe. Zuko could firebend. Nobody had anything to fear anymore.

When Ozai offered the best firebending tutors in the country, Ursa declined saying that she would teach her son firebending herself.

"Am I not capable enough to teach my son how to firebend?"

"No, I didn't say that . . . it's just that these tutors are much more experienced —"

"Ursa has a valid point you know," Fire Lord Azulon said, walking in the middle of their argument. "After all, she is a firebending prodigy herself."

Ursa smirked at the compliment. She thanked the Fire Lord for praising her, and took Zuko with her before she left. She could feel Ozai glaring at her back.

She noticed Zuko's progress in his firebending was maddeningly slow. His firebending was still uncontrollable and erratic as before, possibly even worse. Whenever Ozai questioned her on his progress, she would plaster a smile on her face and tell him yes.

One of these days, her lies would undoubtedly catch up to her.

"Young Zuko looks much like his father," Fire Lord Azulon remarked one day. "Hopefully, he would not inherit that horrible temper his father is infamous for."

"Ah yes, that can be quite annoying," she agreed.

"Watching Ozai grow up was not easy. I hired many tutors, but all of them complained about lack of progress. It was much easier when he became older."

So that explained everything. It explained why Zuko's firebending abilities were developing in a leisure pace, why Ozai seemed agitated in the beginning.

He was a late bloomer.

She couldn't hide her secret any longer, especially when Zuko became overzealous during his firebending lessons and accidentally injured himself during the process.

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Sorry I cut out the wedding scene. I'm not really good at writing weddings. I've never really been to one myself


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